INDIAN TEA INDUSTRY TO PARTICIPATE IN GULFOOD 2009 IN A BIG WAY

Feb 22, 2009

            Indian Tea Industry is participating in the Gulf Food 2009 - The 14th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire being held in Dubai from 23-26 Feb 2009 at the Dubai International convention and Exhibition centre in a big way. 

      Five Indian tea producing and exporting companies, from North and South India, will be participating through the Tea Board of India stand at the Fair. A wide variety of excellent Indian teas would be showcased at the stand. The Tea Board has also invited delegates representing some of the leading tea companies, from the UAE and different countries to visit their stand during the show. The stand is located in Hall 6 at B6-16, Indian Pavilion.

The West Asia-North Africa region, of which Dubai is an important trading hub, is a major market for Indian teas. More than 35% of India’s total tea exports are to this region. The Tea Board of India is now looking towards promoting the higher-end and value-added teas in this market. 

      The WANA region comprises of countries having a very high consumption of tea. It also includes a country like the UAE which is an important re-export/trading hub in the region catering not only to countries of the Middle East but also CIS etc. Total imports of tea into the WANA region is more than 400 million kgs annually. Various countries in the region have different preferences as far as the kind of tea consumed is concerned. While Egypt is a predominantly CTC consuming country, major consumers like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya are mainly orthodox tea consumers.

Tea Board of India is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. It is responsible for the overall development, promotion and regulation of the Indian tea industry and trade. It is a facilitator, working jointly with the Indian tea industry, to promote the interests of Indian tea. The Head Office of Tea Board of India is in Kolkata, West Bengal. It has three foreign offices located in Dubai, Moscow and London respectively, responsible for export promotion of Indian tea in their regions.

Tea Board’s Dubai Office was established in 1991 and is responsible for promotion of Indian tea in the West Asia and the North African region. The promotional activities of the office include field promotion through participation in trade fairs, organizing buyer-seller meets, in-store promotions, market surveys, regular interaction with importers, dissemination of information regarding tea prices/Indian tea exporters, responding to trade enquiries & addressing buyer complaints if any, creating awareness of the uniqueness and varieties of Indian tea through media campaigns etc. 

Background Information :
 

What makes Indian Tea the worlds most preferred beverage? Just water and dry leaves?
Or is it much more?
There are numerous facts and fables that lie beneath those flavourful, aromatic leaves brewing in the pot and the Tea Board of India has tried to bring these forward for the benefit of the connossieurs of Tea.
 

Indian tea, including the three distinct varieties “Darjeeling”, “Assam” and “Nilgiri” teas are famous all over the world for their quality and flavour. 

In his quest for tea, Robert Fortune travelled to China as a spy for the East India company. He shaved his head, grew a ponytail and became fluent in Mandarin, to enter the secret tea growing regions of China, at the risk of death. His valiant efforts resulted in the shipment of over 20,000 plants and seedlings to the Himalayas.

The year was 1823. Robert Bruce, a Scottish trader and explorer, visited Rangpur in Upper Assam. He met the chief of the Singpo, one of the principal indigenous tribes of the North East who grew a variety of tea unknown to the rest of the world. Luckily for the world at large, Bruce was permitted to carry back some plants and seeds. This noble gesture by the tribe opened Assam’s doors to an industry that would sustain it for generations to come

Charles Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, collected wild Assam tea plants and despatched them to Dr. N. Wallich, superintendent of the Calcutta Botanical Garden who immediately declared that they were not genuine tea. The indigenous Assam tea plant had to wait for another decade for recognition till Lord Bentinck set up the historic Tea Committee. Today, Assam is the largest tea producing state in India.

As a Civil Surgeon with the Indian Medical Service who was transferred from Kathmandu to Darjeeling in 1839, loneliness was Dr Campbell’s primary concern. Tired of talking to his cat, he bought tea seeds and planted them in his garden. Soon, the townspeople started flocking to his home for tea, and his company. And in 1847, the government elected to establish tea nurseries in Darjeeling.

Centuries ago, miles and miles of coffee plantations in the Nilgiris were infested with ‘leaf rust’. And it was in these burial grounds of coffee that the first tea plantations were started. Following the success of these, other planters in the Nilgiris began to follow suit. Those very same hills of Tamil Nadu are now home to the famous aromatic Nilgiri tea.

Maniram Dewan of Assam was not a man the British tea planters held in much affection. Not just did he throw his weight behind the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, he also started his own plantations – the first by an Indian – after having learnt all there is to know about tea cultivation as an employee of the Assam Company. The Britisher’s dislike of the native rebel led to his hanging in 1858 but every time the world wakes up to a cup of strong Assam tea, his legacy lives on.

Darjeeling teas, grown on the foothills of the spectacular Himalayas, have an incomparable flavour and delicate aroma. First and second flush Darjeeling teas, considered the world’s finest, are much prized by gourmets for their ‘muscatel’ flavour. Assam, the region where the first tea seed was planted in 1823, produces full bodied teas which are strong, smooth with a malty flavour. The Blue Mountains or the Nilgiris situated in South India, produce relatively milder teas with a fine flavour, fragrance and brisk liquors. Unlike the seasonal Darjeeling and Assam teas, the Nilgiri teas grow throughout the year. Because of its quality and strength Indian tea is considered indispensable by the blenders of   most of   the leading international brands. Pure Indian tea, however, continues to be the ultimate choice of the most discerning connoisseurs throughout the world.